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Topic: To queen or not to queen? (Read 2040 times)

Iâ€™m new to the forum and the world of beekeeping and Iâ€™m looking for advice. I started a hive late last August that maybe queenless (QL) now. I inspected the hive 3 weeks ago and found queen cells on a frame. I started destroying the cells as I found them. After inspecting all frames it hit me there were no eggs or larva just capped brood. I went back and looked for my marked queen and couldnâ€™t find her. Two weeks later and no eggs or larva I thought I must be QL. Then I read a thread posted by Zoot on 6/06. Now Iâ€™m not sure. Today is three weeks since noticing. I plan to check for eggs today. I just got a new queen today. Should I go ahead and start the intro process or give it one more week?

If you are doing a candy release, I'd come back in four days and see if she's out. If you left the cork in, I'd come back in four days and release her. That seems to have the highest rate of acceptance. But they sometimes accept her much sooner.